Bung bushing and closure for barrels.



0. 13. TERNBY.

Patented J an. 27, 191i 3mm fiarlw F 771 /16] COLUMBIA PLANOORAPH BUNGBUSHING AND CLOSURE FOR BARRELS.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. TERNEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THEJBARREL & CASKCLOSURE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N.'Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

BUNG BUSHING AND CLOSURE FOR BARRELS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 27, 1914.

Application filed July 6, 1912. Serial No. 708,015.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. TERNEY,

is a specification.

bung-bushing and closure for barrels or casks and like receptacles. I

The object of my invention is to provide a bung-bushing in keeping withthe present requirements for the filling, storage, transportation anddistribution of all kinds of liquids and oils, also distilled andfermented beverages, especially such as beer and ale and the return ofthe empty kegs or barrels in transit. In the usual practice at thepresent time it is customary to provide kegs and barrels for thedistribution of such malt bev era-ges with suitable openings which arefitted with tap-valves or closures, through which the packages can bequickly and conveniently tapped and emptied of their contents. V Iaddition to provide on the side or bilge of same a larger opening,commonly called bung-hole, to be closed or opened by means of a suitabledevice in order that the packages may be conveniently cleaned, washed,drained and refilled after being coated on the inside so as to keep themin a proper and sanitary condition.

A closure for such bilge opening or bunghole is thesubject matter of thepresent in-;

vention.

With this general object in view my invention consists of a bung-bushingclosure which will be positively locked against accidental opening, andwhich while readily opened with the proper key, cannot be openedsurreptitiously with nails, wires or the like.

My invention will be more fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings and then particularly pointed out in the claims. a

In the drawings, Figure l is a detail side view of the key; Fig. 2 isasectional view of the bushing and plug showing a part of the key inelevation; Fig. 3 is a plan view of my bung-bushing and closure, the keybeing in section, and Fig. 4 a section of the bush mg.

In all such cases it is necessary in Referring to the drawing, A is abungbushing, whose inner end is rounded at the corner and flanged towardthe axis of the bung, said flange being indicated at a. The

outer face of thebushing is provided with an annular flange a. The bodyof the bushmg is in the form of ashort truncated cone,

1 and is provided on the periphery with coarse My invention relates toimprovements in screw-threads, as indicated at a The interior of thebushing is stepped as shown in Fig.7 2, to form two interior shoulders aa,

the former serving as a seat for the closure. The bushing is providedwith cam projections a in the present case formed integral with thebushing and projecting inwardly from the inner walls of said bushing,between the shoulder a and the outer face of the bushing. These camprojections, (L (in the present'case two) extend through an arc ofslightly more than 90 and face each other, leaving spaces between theirrespective ends, for a purpose hereinafter explained. In the presentexample the outer surfaces of the cam projections lie in planes whichare parallel to the plane of the outer face of the bushing, while theunder surfaces of the cam projections are inclined, so that the camprojections are each thicker at one end than at the other. The undersurfaces of each cam projection may be considered as comprising threeportions, namely a smooth portion at the thin end of the cam projection,an intermediate portion having corrugations which extend radially of thebushing and, at the thick end, a smooth portion.

The bung-closure, indicated generally at B, consists of a hollow plughaving circular walls, 6, a closed bottom 6, and a flanged topb whichoverhangs the inner faces of the walls indicated at b. The overhangingtop 6 is arranged to form a central circular opening, whose margin isentire, as shown by b, Fig. 3. The inside of said plug B, is providedwith radial stopsor projections on its interior wall as indicated at oThe plug is also provided at opposite sides with overhanging outwardextending cam projections, 6 whose upper or outer faces are inclined tocorrespond with the inclined faces of the cam projections in thebushing, these inclined surfaces each having a smooth portion near thethinend and a plurality of radial wavy teeth or corrugations between thesaid thin portion and the thick end of the respective cam projection,these corrugations being arranged to match and interact with those onthe corresponding cam projections of the bushing. In the embodiment ofthe invention here illustrated, the plug is unita The exterior diameterof the plug at its inner end is such that it will enter the opening ofsmallest diameter at the inner end of the bushing, while the outerdiameter of the flanged top is slightly less than the diametricaldistance between the two cam projections of the bushing. In order tomake a tight closure, the plug is provided with a heavy rubber ring orpacking C which surrounds the plug and rests in contact with the flangeof the top. The parts are so proportioned that when the plug is insertedinto the bushing, by means of a key, as hereinafter described, theprojections, If, of the plug will enter the spaces between the ends ofthe cam projections, a, of the bushing, whereby the'plug may be pusheddown into the bushing, its packing ring C coming into contact with theseat a of the bushing. By a slight revolution of the plug the smoothends of the cam projections 6 can move freely beneath the thin ends ofthe cam projections a whereupon, by further rotation, the camprojections 5 will ride down the cam projections a, until the firstnatching teeth or corrugations contact. Then, by the application ofsufficient force the plug may be further rotated, the corrugations ofthe plug riding over the tops of the corrugations of the bushing andgradually compressing the rubber packing or ring C, until the plug hasbeen rotated to its extreme closed or locked position, the resiliency ofthe ring or packing G holding the corrugations of the plug in engagementwith the corresponding corrugations of the bushing. In this conditionthe rubber ring is compressed and makes a liquid or gas tight joint,while the engaging teeth prevent any accident-a1 backward rotation ofthe plug, such as would result in leakage of the closure.

It has been common in the art heretofore to provide various forms ofbung-bushings, but in all those heretofore known to me, the margin ofthe circular opening in the top of the plug was not entire, but wasprovided with notches or the like, in order to permit the insertion andremoval of the key. Such a construction has been found to bedisadvantageous, since such a plug could more readily be unscrewed bypounding a nail or other simple and readily obtainable article againstthe edges of one of the notches. That is to say the edges of the notchesserved as convenient abutments to which impact could be applied to drivethe inclined cam surfaces in theunlocking direction. But by making themargin of the circular opening entire the above-mentioned diliiculty isavoided.

oppositely arranged outwardly extending wings which are arranged toengage with the interior projections b of plug B, as shown in Fig. 2,said wings having rounded upper and lower surfaces. The shape and sizeof the wings and of the lower end of the key is such that it may beinserted into the hollow plug through the circular opening in the top ofsaid plug, by bringing the arms 0 together, by means of the members D,or by merely pushing inward on the key. When the wings a have clearedthe overhanging top 6 the members D, upon being released will allow thearms 0 to be again spread apart, acted on by the spring,

and the key will be locked in the said hol-' low plug, being retained bythe overhanging top 5 which acts against the wings 0 By turning the keyto the right or left, the said wings contact with the interiorprojections b of said plug and said plug may then be rotated so as'toclose or open the bung, as the case may be. In order to limit theoutward movement of the arms 0 of the key, a rivet or screw (Z isprovided which passes freely through an opening (Z in one of the arms 0and is fastened to the other arm at (P, the head (Z of the screw keepingthe two arms 0 pressed upon by spring 0 from spreading apart beyond acertain point. The key may be removed merely by pulling outwardly on it,or by moving the members D to close the arms 0 together.

Owing to the central circular opening, whose margin is entire, in thetop of the plug through which the key is to be inserted, and thedifficulty of acting on the radial projections by any instrument otherthan the proper key, the closure is safe against ordinary tampering inattempts to open it. Furthermore, the difficulty of such unauthorizedopening is increased because of the locking teeth, since it is necessaryto apply considerable rotary force in order to compress the rubberpacking ring and thus partly free the teeth before attempting to rotatethe plug to open the closure. The

bushing is intended to be screw-threaded into the bilge portion of anybarrel, cask or other receptacle and in such'case the outer flange isbedded in a recess or counterbore formed in the said barrel or likereceptacle.

It is to be partioularlynoted that in the preferred form of my inventionthe corrugations on the upper surface of the plug cam projections varyin size, increasing from the thin or leading portion toward the thick ortrailing portion, as shown in Fig. 4, while the corrugations on thebottom of the cam projections of the bushing are arranged to match them.This makes it possible for the desired locking action to take placewhile at the same time allowing the packing to be compressed graduallyduring the turning operation in looking. It is to be noted furthermorethat the radial edges of the cam projections of the plug are rounded 0Eso that they will not serve as abutments for the application of impactto drive the plug open, thus preventing unwarranted tampering with theclosure.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a bung-bushing closure, a bushing having an interior seat, a caminside said bushing and having inner inclined surfaces, a hollow plugarranged to enter said bushing, said plug having cam projectionsarranged to engage the cam projections of the bushing, projections inits interior, and a top overhanging said projections and havin a centralcircular opening whose margin is entire, and an elastic packing ringcarried by the plug and arranged to bear against the seat to close thebung.

2. In a bung-bushing closure, a bushing having an interior seat, and camprojections inside said bushing, and having inner inclined surfacesprovided with corrugations, a hollow plug arranged to enter saidbushing, said plug having cam projections arranged to engage the camprojections of the bushing and provided with corrugations mating withthe corrugations of the bushing, projections in the interior of saidhollow plug, and a top overhanging said projections and having a centralcircular opening whose margin is entire, and an elastic packing ringcarried by the plug and arranged to bear against the seat to close thebung.

3. In a bung-bushing closure, a key, consisting of two members havingtwo lateral, extending arms, said arms having lateral oppositelyarranged wings in its free ends, yieldable means for holding said armsin an extended position, and means for limiting the outward movement ofsaid arms, in combination with a hollow plug having interior projectionsfor engaging with the wings on said key, and an overhanging topforretaining the key and plug in a locked position, said plug carryingan elastic packing ring, and arranged to be entered and l'ocked in abushing, to close the bung.

4. In a bung-bushing closure, the combination with a bushing and ahollow plug fitting within said bushing, said bushing and plug beingformed to interlock upon rotation of the plug relative to the bushing,of stops or projections within the plug adapted to be engaged bysuitable means for rotating the plug, and a top overhanging saidprojections and having a central circular opening whose margin isentire.

5. In a bung-bushing closure, the combination with a bushing havinginterior cam locking surfaces, and a unitary hollow plug fitting withinsaid bushing and having cam surfaces arranged to interlock with the camsurfaces of the bushing upon suitable rotation of the plug, of stops orprojections on the interior walls of said plug, and a top overhangingsaid projections and having a central circular opening whose margin isentire.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my hand this 2nd day of July,1912.

CHARLES F. TERNEY.

Witnesses:

M. G. MASSIE, JOHN H. SIGGERS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C.

